Assessment of Climate Risks, Vulnerability of Urban Health Systems, and Individual Adaptation Strategies in the City of N’Djaména (Chad)

Abstract

Climate variability and change are already having a negative impact on the health of tens of millions of Africans through exposure to sub-optimal temperatures and extreme weather conditions as well as increasing the range and transmission of infectious diseases. This study aims to identify climate risks and the vulnerability of health systems as well as individual coping strategies in the city of N’Djaména. To achieve this, we adopted a methodology combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Meteorological data on wind, temperature, and rainfall were collected at daily and monthly intervals from the National Meteorological Agency in N’Djaména. Qualitative data were collected via focus group discussions with targets of the city’s health system and quantitative data were collected from the population on the basis of oriented questionnaires. The results show that rising temperatures with heat waves, regular flooding, and strong winds are the major climate risks identified. These have numerous impacts and effects on the city’s health system due to the following vulnerability factors most recognized by city dwellers: insufficient medical equipment in health facilities (IEME), the fragile nature of people’s physiological state in the face of climatic risks (CFEP), and the failure of city sanitation strategies and policies (DSPA). This study proposes a set of recommendations for transformational adaptation of the healthcare sector, which remains vulnerable to climate risks.